Orange County DA Reports Decrease in Crime, Result of Major Narcotics Operations in Annual Update

District Attorney David Hoovler highlighted low crime rates in a tough environment for prosecutors, as well as several major drug busts.

People enter the Orange County Court building in Goshen, N.Y., on Sept. 22, 2022. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

ORANGE COUNTY, N.Y.–The office of the Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) released its annual report, chronicling law enforcement actions by the DA’s office and police in Orange County up to 2023. It also reported convictions for serious crimes like homicide, narcotics trafficking, and arson.

The report, published on May 28, showed an overall decrease in crime in Orange County between 2014 and 2023. The OCDA’s office told The Epoch Times that the report did not include trends for 2024 as they did not have 2024 data at the time of publication.

Property crime, violent crime, misdemeanors, and felonies were tracked.

Property crime fell by 37 percent between 2014 and 2023. Most of the decrease in crime happened before 2019, and the numbers have remained stable since. The total number of property crimes in 2023 came to 4,458, slightly higher than the recorded low in 2021.

Violent crime dropped by 13 percent between 2014 and 2023, with no major spikes or dips. In 2023, a total of 721 violent crimes were committed.

Misdemeanor arrests fell by 28 percent to 4,505 in 2023. Felonies fell by 13 percent. Both hit their lowest numbers in 2020 and have remained stable since.

District Attorney David Hoovler said in a statement, “Orange County was identified by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services as an outlier compared to other counties in the State because of the consistency of our crime statistics, even compared to pre-COVID and pre-criminal justice reform rates.”

Between 2019 and 2023, major felonies in New York increased by 33 percent. Homicides rose by 23 percent, and shootings went up by 27 percent. Petty larceny climbed by 24 percent. These higher numbers have been blamed on unintended consequences of bail reform, heightened sensitivity to potential litigation, and the general demoralization of the law enforcement community post-2019.

Hoovler pointed out in the report that Orange County has been able to lower the number of crimes even though bail reform and discovery reform laws were passed in 2019 that made prosecution of some crimes harder. Orange County conviction rates remained similar to pre-COVID levels, while in Ulster, dismissals for felonies and misdemeanors more than doubled. Hoovler credited Orange County’s stable crime rates to policies and procedures implemented by the OCDA in anticipation of the 2019 reforms.

In 2024, the OCDA’s Digital Forensic Unit expanded its staffing. The group was created in 2023 to analyze digital evidence from cellphones and computers. The group also has a heavy focus on catching distributors of child pornography.

In September 2024, the OCDA partnered with the NY Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives to create the Hudson Valley Arson and Explosives Task Force. The task force focuses on fire, arson, and explosives cases. The report cites the 2024 Los Angeles fires and the significant November 2024 fires in Southern Orange County as examples demonstrating the necessity of the task force.

Four major narcotics operations were brought down in 2024 by a collaboration of local law enforcement agencies and the OCDA. The report highlights the use of court-ordered eavesdropping warrants, allowing law enforcement to intercept digital communications. All narcotics operations investigated in 2024 also dealt with the sale or possession of illegal firearms.

“Operation Hide in Plain Sight” was a collaboration of the Middletown Police Department and the Orange County Drug Task Force investigating cocaine trafficking over two years. Evidence from eavesdropping warrants resulted in 15 felony convictions.

“Operation Final Blow” was a major investigation conducted by the Port Jervis Police Department. The department ended up seizing 2 kilograms of cocaine, 74 grams of heroin, 165 grams of fentanyl, 1,600 ecstasy pills, 235 pills containing oxycodone, seven illegally possessed firearms, and $153,690. All 26 defendants pleaded guilty on felony charges.

“Operation Hot Lunch” was a six-month investigation by the OCDA, Middletown Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies that resulted in 25 people being charged with narcotics, firearms, or conspiracy offenses.

A notable arrest was Kirkland Salmon, who is alleged to be at the center of four different narcotics trafficking operations. Salmon’s food truck, which he used to sell narcotics and guns outside the City of Newburgh Courthouse, was forfeited to the authorities.